A Call for Help - The Cheating Bank

Most times I receive unbelievable stories of things that go on in some of these our Nigerian banks. This is why I agree with a long time banker friend who believes that working in the banking system sometimes feel like caging the staff and taking away his/her sense of belonging. The profession has a way of tampering with one’s human rights and making staff members look helpless.

I agree that the pay is very juicy compared to what other sectors are doing but anything that will make you lose your ‘real you’ no matter the price should not be entertained. I am not saying that we should not have bankers or anyone working in the bank anymore; rather I think the sector should be better regulated and very well monitored to ensure that employees do not have their rights infringed upon.

Picture Credit: PunchNg

Tony my banker friend called me this afternoon to lament on how he had his hard earned salary slashed by a whole 50% and will have to pay this sum for a span of 6 months. This guy is a bloody account officer (as they are being addressed by the senior colleagues) who has little or most times, no decision making power when it has to do with granting loans to customers. He had earlier in the year presented a customer’s request of a Five Million Naira Overdraft to the senior management who after considering several requirements, deemed the customer worthy of the facility and as such, approved the loan.

The customer has successfully utilized the funds and even paid up as and when due. This impressive act by the customer got him another approval when he requested for the second and even the third time. It has remained a win-win relationship for both parties until recently when the customer defaulted in his repayment. He has only been able to pay down the sum of N2,500,000.00 out of the approved N5,000,000.00. The facility is currently 3 months overdue as the customer has been unable to repay. After several threats and attempts to get the customer to pay down to no avail, the unimaginable has happened. The innocent account officer has been made to bear the brunt. This is what I call 21st century slavery and we at ibank cannot watch this continue in this sector.

Picture Credit: mangaloretoday.com

Employees must always know and remember that they have a right and as such, must be protected at all times. It is against any law or policy to debit an employee’s account in an attempt to punish him/her for a bad loan which was not of his making. We think this is entirely unfair and very illegal and every bank employee facing such must voice out rather than suffer in silence.

On this particular issue of this my friend, we have taken it up and will follow it to the tale end. He has however pleaded that we do not mention the bank for now. Ibank has promised that this issue will be thoroughly dealt with and when the need arises, the bank will be mentioned to serve as a warning to many other banks involved in this wicked act.